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Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Update 4/8/11

Dear Friends and Family. Tonight we want to update you with where we are at in this journey that the Lord has suddenly diverted us onto. Ryan received word from the doctor that did his procedure that the cytology indicates that he has liver bile duct cancer, which is called cholangiocarcinoma. It has advanced outside of his liver, as the tumors are located right in the liver/pancreas/gallbladder region, as well as a nearby lymph node.

Now that we know what we are dealing with, we plan to get some different opinions about how to proceed. We are in contact with three different institutions at this time, and we hope to be able to get information from them and even appointments! Typically the waiting period is about 1-3 days while they review Ryan's case, and then 1-2 weeks to get an appointment. PLEASE PRAY that things would move expeditiously. We are feeling a tremendous urgency to see an oncologist as soon as possible and start treatment.

We cannot thank you enough for continuing to pray for us. You are each a blessing to us. We have heard from so many people this week about how they are thinking of us and praying for us, and we know that the Lord is listening and covering us in his grace at this moment.

At times it feels like there is a weight on our chest and the anxiety is difficult. However we know that our God is sovereign. We are confident that His grace is sufficent for the task at hand.

Please pray for peace of mind as this will be our current reality without a treatment plan for the next couple weeks. Please continue praying for a miracle whether within or outside the confines of medicine. Pray that God would be glorified through this process and we would have open doors to share our testimony with others.

At this point we aren't sure what our needs are. We will attempt to go back to a "normal" routine next week and begin to prepare for future absences at school and work. However we can tell you that our eyes are opened to the glory of God and regardless of outcome we will never view things the same again.

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A blog about cancer, faith, and a new lens for how we see life.

In April 2011, life as I knew it changed completely. My husband Ryan, who was 25 at the time, was diagnosed with stage 4 cholangiocarcinoma, a cancer of the liver bile duct. His doctors gave him less than a year to live, but God granted him almost two more before he passed away in April 2013. After Ryan's diagnosis, we (slowly) learned what it means to live life in high definition, a way of seeing life through a clearer focus on what is important - ultimately, to glorify God no matter the circumstances we have in front of us, but also to appreciate the blessings that we have been given. The question that we have constantly asked ourselves has been, "Does our faith define our circumstances or do our circumstances define our faith?"